McMafia Episode 5 Recap

As the 5th episode begins, Alex Godman (James Norton) continues his martial arts training. He is told to never stop moving in his body or mind. In Israel, Semiyon (David Strathairn) gets a visit from his boyfriend Ezra. Ezra gives him a picture and they share a kiss. Meanwhile, Vadim (Merab Ninidze) and Ilya (Kirill Pirogov) look at pictures of Semiyon. They begin talking about getting revenge on Semiyon. After the intro, we join Semiyon and Lyudmilla (Sofiya Lebedeva) at a club. In the middle of the conversation, Lyudmilla gets up and leaves. Joseph (Oshri Cohen) follows her. Lyudmilla remains adamant that she wants to go home. Joseph promises that Semiyon is a good man and honest. He sincerely believes that she will be sent home soon enough.

Later, Alex gets a call from Kleiman. He learns that the team in Mumbai plans to hold onto the drugs. Alex suggests using it to negotiate with the Pakistanis. Kleiman isn’t ready to take that kind of risk, since his men are in control of Mumbai now. Then, Karin (Kemi-Bo Jacobs) speaks with Alex. This time, Alex promises that he will get rid of Kleiman soon enough. Moments later, Katya (Faye Marsay) meets with Masha (Maria Mashkova). During the meeting, Masha tells Katya about her affair with Dimitri (Aleksey Serebryakov). She also reveals that she might be pregnant. Katya becomes angry and leaves the restaurant immediately. Kleiman prepares Lyudmilla to meet with his art dealer friend, Yariv Ableman (Ohad Knoller). She is told that Ableman will introduce her to a lot of people. Seconds later, the party begins.Tanya (Yuval Scharf) immediately introduces Lyudmilla to Yariv.

Then, she is introduced to another man. She manages to escape his grasp. While away, she notices Ezra making out with another man. In the morning, Alex gets a call from Antonio (Caio Blat). Kleiman is arrested after being accused of sexually assaulting Ezra. Alex and Antonio discuss the charges. Antonio admits it isn’t going to be easy to clear him even if he is innocent. Alex promises that they cannot track him based on Kleiman’s finances. Antonio explains that Kleiman doesn’t want the same as Alex. He only wants money and not revenge. He also suggests that he can be a good friend to Alex and a dangerous enemy to Vadim. That night, Rebecca (Juliet Rylance) and Alex listen to the news about Kleiman on television. Alex defends Kleiman and starts an argument. Kleiman is released. Joseph remains by his side.

Next, Alex flies out to Israel. He is greeted by Joseph at the airport. Alex insists there must be witnesses. Kleiman is grateful to see Alex. Alex agrees to stick around for a few days and snoop around. That night, Rebecca calls Antonio. She requests to meet with him at a later time. That night, Lyudmilla tells Joseph about seeing Ezra and the other boy. She wonders whether Kleiman would let he go, if she helped him prove his innocence. In the morning, Joseph tells Alex. He explains that Lyudmilla wants Alex to speak with Kleiman on her behalf. They pick her up and learn about what she saw. Joseph explains that Yariv and Kleiman were friends back in Russia. They meet with Yariv and asks him about the boy that Lyudmilla saw. He eventually tells them that it sounds like Reuben (Yon Tumarkin). He gives them the boy’s contact details.

Alex gets in touch with him. Rebecca meets with Antonio. He manages to put her mind at ease about Alex. Then, he cancels a meeting with a friend and tells Rebecca that he himself is far worse than Alex. Meanwhile, Alex meets with Reuben. He is told that there is footage of him with Ezra. The boy flees the pub right away. Joseph stops him outside. Reuben admits that two men came to his office. They knew everything about his relationship with Ezra. The men were Israeli-Russians. He admits that he helped lure Ezra to the back of the house. Both were threatened with death, if they didn’t cooperate. Antonio gets a call from Alex. He learns about the setup. Antonio agrees to help by providing false documents. Joseph meets with Lyudmilla. He tells her that Alex has agreed to help. He sincerely believes that everything will work out fine.

That night, Antonio returns home with Rebecca. Alex visits the beach he visited with his uncle. Katya visits Masha. She asks Masha what she is going to do. Masha admits that she doesn’t know. Alex meets with Kleiman. He tells him that he can get him cleared. However, he forces Kleiman’s hand and makes him work with Antonio. Kleiman is not happy, but he signs the paperwork. Then, Alex tries to encourage Kleiman to let Lyudmilla go home. He refuses. Afterwards, Alex promises Joseph that he’ll do everything he can for Lyudmilla. Two men pay a visit to Ezra. Joseph delivers the bad news to Lyudmilla. Ezra finally tells the true to the detectives. Meanwhile, Alex and Joseph prepare to pick up Reuben. Before they can get to him, he is shot and killed in the street.

Kleiman meets with Yariv. Yariv tries to apologize, but Kleiman blames himself. Ezra’s mother finds him dead from an overdose. On the way to the airport, Alex and Joseph speak about London. Joseph admits he would like to visit it someday, maybe soon. Alex apologizes for not being able to help. He promises to find another way to help. Alex gives him a business card before entering the airport. Inside, Alex buys a ring for Rebecca. Then, he runs into Vadim. During their conversation, Vadim reveals that he is friends with Yariv Ableman. He mentions the party. Vadim tells Alex to have a safe trip home. He also tells him to give his regards to his family, before departing.

McMafia Review

This episode of McMafia was pretty dang good. The series is definitely a slow burner, but there is just enough action to keep things interesting. The episode finally broke down the relationship between Alex and Kleiman. Unfortunately, it seems that Kleiman might be correct. Alex might be making a bad mistake getting involved with Antonio. This episode left a lot of questions. Did Rebecca and Antonio sleep together?

Does Vadim know that Alex is involved? How will Kleiman react to the betrayal? How far is Joseph willing to go to help Lyudmilla? At this point, I am pretty hooked. I can’t wait to find out how things play out. The episode scores a solid 8.5 out of 10. Catch up with previous recaps of McMafia now!

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Jay Skelton is a fan of all television shows and movies. He tries his best to keep up with the latest foreign television shows and movies. Jay loves skinny dipping in the dark too.